One of the things that has always weighed on my heart is the whole issue of abortion. I know that it is a touchy subject, although to me, the truth has always seemed crystal clear. I have always wanted to somehow stand up and be a voice for the unborn, but for the last, I don't know, zillion years, I have been pregnant or nursing or herding a little flock of Houghlings about. Because I wasn't able to go out and take a stand physically, I have always opted to do so spiritually, offering up prayers for the unborn. The end of abortion is a constant intention during family prayers, each night. It is a tricky one to explain to the little ones, but still something that I feel needs to be addressed, albeit very delicately. In their little minds, it is impossible to even imagine a mommy not wanting to have a baby, let alone destroying the life of a baby that is already growing in her belly.

We are now at a point in the life of our family that the kids are all a little bit older. Jonathan, the baby is already 4. This makes it much easier to actually do things. So that is just what we did. We volunteered to participate in our church's Life Chain as part of Respect Life month. So from 2:00 until 3:00 this afternoon, we stood along Sunset Blvd holding signs and peacefully praying for all of the lives in jeopardy.

As we held our signs, and the cars drove by, many honked there horns and gave us a thumbs up sign. Many smiled and waved in support as they drove by. I was standing there looking at my little ones, thinking about how this was such a good lesson for them. They were seeing first hand how great it is to stand up for something that you believe in. That is when it happened. A young 20ish looking girl came out of her apartment building across the street from where we were. She stood there looking up and down the street as she smoked her cigarette. Before I knew it, she was in her car and driving slowly down the street flipping us all off. Thankfully the little boys had no idea what she was doing, but the other kids looked on in horror. A few minutes later it happened again. And then a young "man" (I am using this term loosely, because there was nothing manly about what he did.) drove down the street, put his window down and yelled out as he passed Hannah and Gianna and the little boys and I, "Women deserve the right to f*%@ing choose!" That is how you are going to address children?? If you don't agree with what we were doing, please, feel free to come and discuss it with me, their mother, but there is no reason to use that kind of language around my children. I was upset and frustrated by the incident, but then I realized that standing up for what you believe in and for what you know in your heart is right and true is what we are called to do. But in this fight for the truth, there is always persecution from the dark side. That is what makes the fight necessary. We have to speak up. We have to be willing to fight. Sometimes the fight is in the form of a discussion. Sometimes it is prayerfully standing alongside the road with a sign or praying in front of an abortuary. Sometimes it is in the form of praying a rosary. Whatever the way, we just need to keep fighting.

The signs that we were holding, read things such as "Jesus Forgives and Heals" and "Adoption, a Loving Option", "Abortion Hurts Women" and "Abortion Kills Children." All of these things are true. There was nothing printed on the signs that could be taken as false. Abortion does, in fact, stop a beating heart resulting in the death of a child. And adoption... oh my, there are so many childless couples that would love to adopt a tiny baby. In fact there are many couples with a lot of children that would be thrilled to welcome another little one into the family. ( I absolutely would!) But the one sign that really resonated within me today,, was the one that said that abortion hurts women. I do not believe that every woman who chooses an abortion does so, fully believing that it is absolutely the best option. I cannot allow myself to believe that every woman that has an abortion, does so without a shred of remorse or regret. I know that there are women that feel that due to a medical issue, whether it is an issue with the baby or the mother, that they have no alternative. The belief that it is, somehow, merciful to end the life of a special needs child, breaks my heart. My heart aches for these women. I don't care what brought them to this point. It really doesn't matter. What does matter is that they need our prayers. They need our compassion. And ultimately, they need the forgiveness and mercy of a Loving Father.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

A different type of blog

One of the things that has always weighed on my heart is the whole issue of abortion. I know that it is a touchy subject, although to me, the truth has always seemed crystal clear. I have always wanted to somehow stand up and be a voice for the unborn, but for the last, I don't know, zillion years, I have been pregnant or nursing or herding a little flock of Houghlings about. Because I wasn't able to go out and take a stand physically, I have always opted to do so spiritually, offering up prayers for the unborn. The end of abortion is a constant intention during family prayers, each night. It is a tricky one to explain to the little ones, but still something that I feel needs to be addressed, albeit very delicately. In their little minds, it is impossible to even imagine a mommy not wanting to have a baby, let alone destroying the life of a baby that is already growing in her belly.

We are now at a point in the life of our family that the kids are all a little bit older. Jonathan, the baby is already 4. This makes it much easier to actually do things. So that is just what we did. We volunteered to participate in our church's Life Chain as part of Respect Life month. So from 2:00 until 3:00 this afternoon, we stood along Sunset Blvd holding signs and peacefully praying for all of the lives in jeopardy.

As we held our signs, and the cars drove by, many honked there horns and gave us a thumbs up sign. Many smiled and waved in support as they drove by. I was standing there looking at my little ones, thinking about how this was such a good lesson for them. They were seeing first hand how great it is to stand up for something that you believe in. That is when it happened. A young 20ish looking girl came out of her apartment building across the street from where we were. She stood there looking up and down the street as she smoked her cigarette. Before I knew it, she was in her car and driving slowly down the street flipping us all off. Thankfully the little boys had no idea what she was doing, but the other kids looked on in horror. A few minutes later it happened again. And then a young "man" (I am using this term loosely, because there was nothing manly about what he did.) drove down the street, put his window down and yelled out as he passed Hannah and Gianna and the little boys and I, "Women deserve the right to f*%@ing choose!" That is how you are going to address children?? If you don't agree with what we were doing, please, feel free to come and discuss it with me, their mother, but there is no reason to use that kind of language around my children. I was upset and frustrated by the incident, but then I realized that standing up for what you believe in and for what you know in your heart is right and true is what we are called to do. But in this fight for the truth, there is always persecution from the dark side. That is what makes the fight necessary. We have to speak up. We have to be willing to fight. Sometimes the fight is in the form of a discussion. Sometimes it is prayerfully standing alongside the road with a sign or praying in front of an abortuary. Sometimes it is in the form of praying a rosary. Whatever the way, we just need to keep fighting.

The signs that we were holding, read things such as "Jesus Forgives and Heals" and "Adoption, a Loving Option", "Abortion Hurts Women" and "Abortion Kills Children." All of these things are true. There was nothing printed on the signs that could be taken as false. Abortion does, in fact, stop a beating heart resulting in the death of a child. And adoption... oh my, there are so many childless couples that would love to adopt a tiny baby. In fact there are many couples with a lot of children that would be thrilled to welcome another little one into the family. ( I absolutely would!) But the one sign that really resonated within me today,, was the one that said that abortion hurts women. I do not believe that every woman who chooses an abortion does so, fully believing that it is absolutely the best option. I cannot allow myself to believe that every woman that has an abortion, does so without a shred of remorse or regret. I know that there are women that feel that due to a medical issue, whether it is an issue with the baby or the mother, that they have no alternative. The belief that it is, somehow, merciful to end the life of a special needs child, breaks my heart. My heart aches for these women. I don't care what brought them to this point. It really doesn't matter. What does matter is that they need our prayers. They need our compassion. And ultimately, they need the forgiveness and mercy of a Loving Father.